BREAKING: West African Defence Chiefs Meet In Abuja

A meeting of Defence Chiefs from West Africa is currently underway at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

This comes after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military junta in Niger Republic to hand over power to the democratically elected government of Mohamed Bazoum.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, had during the extraordinary session presided over by its Chairman, President Bola Tinubu in Abuja last Sunday, disclosed that all Chiefs of Defence Staff of the member states would proceed for an emergency meeting to strategise on effective ways to implement a possible military operation to restore Bazoum to office.

Also, ECOWAS leaders enforced a no-flight zone over the country as part of sanctions against the restive West African country.

The significant move which included air and land border closure is seen as a crucial reaction to the ascendancy of the junta, which has stirred significant unrest in the country and poses a threat to political stability within the region.

The leadership of the 15-member regional body believes that the imposition of a no-flight zone will help curb the junta’s influence and hinder any potential allies from providing aerial support, even as leaders of the coup fear that ECOWAS could stage an imminent military intervention in the capital of the Sahel country.

In addition to the no-flight zone, the regional body agreed on immediate financial sanctions over the coup.

ECOWAS also insisted that President Bazoum remains recognized as president of Niger, and called upon member states and the international community to uphold and respect these decisions, in an effort to help restore peace and stability in the republic.

Meanwhile, Kanyi Daily reported that the European Union (EU) has said it would not recognise Niger’s putschists who seized power on July 26th, 2023.

It also said it was suspending security cooperation with the restive West African nation.

Recall that members of the elite  Presidential Guard had detained President Bazoum of Niger inside his palace in the capital, Niamey, early on Wednesday, July 26th.

The military, through its Spokesman, Colonel-Major Amadou Abdramane, on Wednesday night, announced on state television that it had overthrown the government of President Mohamed Bazoum.